Bookish Chatter | Childhood Matters

I’m running a little late again this week. On Monday I managed to publish my post in the afternoon and now I’m running about a day behind schedule. That’s okay! It’s only Thursday and it’s been such a full week; I’m grateful to have found any quiet time at my desk to get this post finished.

Today’s books have a common thread: what happens in childhood and within our relationships matters. Do we need that reminder? Apparently we do and our lives are getting more complex as technology and social media changes us every day. The books I’m talking about today reminded me to stop. Slow down. Focus on now, because it matters.

Books finished this week:

Where do you start with The Bee Sting? It’s an incredible family drama set in Ireland. A once wealthy family is facing financial difficulties and everyone copes in their own way. This novel is told from the wildly different perspectives of the family members, two children and two parents. The adults, in particular, harken back to their childhoods to determine where exactly everything went wrong.

Each section of the book feels urgent and as if the shoe is going to drop at any second. And the plot quickens even more as the novel progresses, leading up to a wild finish. My heart was in my throat in the final pages and I was left a little dumbstruck. I still need to reread the last section to make sure I fully understand what happened and I love books like that — books that require close reading throughout and allow you to make your own sense of the ending.

I could go on for days about the themes in this novel and walked away thinking a lot about the symbolism Murray used. This one deserves a complete reread in the next couple of years!

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I’m still trying to wrap my head around God Help the Child. I’ve been watching vlogs to understand it better and am planning to listen to this episode of Fresh Air soon to hear more from Morrison herself. This book is about the repercussions of childhood abuse and neglect in adulthood. The main character, Bride, is born dark black and her mother finds her repulsive. Bride’s only childhood ambition is to please her mother and to feel her touch. As an adult, she becomes incredibly successful but can’t let go of the hurt of her childhood. We see how that unfolds in her relationships and how she regrets a major part of her childhood.

Almost every character in this book experienced some sort of trauma as a child and it sticks with them throughout their lives. It’s a powerful reminder of how important children are and how vital it is to protect them. Just a warning: this book is graphic and very painful to read. If you’re new to Morrison, I wouldn’t recommend starting with this one!

Next month I’m planning to reread Beloved if anyone is interested in joining me.

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The Little Prince was our most recent morning readaloud. I’d never read it before but my goodness – what a beautiful little book with so many wonderful messages sprinkled throughout. My main takeaway is that how we tend to our relationships is exactly what makes them so important. Now matters.

I have a feeling that this book could also hold up to rereads and closer reading, which I hope to do one day.

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Bronwyn and I finished the third Zoey and Sassafras: Merhorses and Bubbles. In this book, the merhorses living in the stream near Zoey’s house needs help. Something is polluting their water and killing the food they eat. After trying out a few hypotheses, Zoey discovers that soap is being carried through a drainage pipe and being dumped into the river. Zoey and her parents drive around and find a group of teenagers who have been fundraising with a carwash for the last several weeks. When Zoey explains that the soap has been draining into a pond and messing up the ecosystem, the teens find another way to earn their money. And all of the magical creatures in the forest are happy again!

Booker Shortlist!

I almost pushed publish without checking in about the Booker shortlist! It was announced a week ago and wow – so many surprises. I have finished half of the six shortlisted and abandoned one. Here’s where I stand:

✔️ Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein – my thoughts can be found here. In short: a surreal novel that, although somewhat disturbing, had me laughing out loud several times.
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❒ If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery – this one simply wasn’t for me right now. I will probably try to read again at some point because so many people are loving it!

✔️ This Other Eden by Paul Harding – my thoughts can be found here. In short: historical fiction set on an island in Maine. It considers race, poverty, and eugenics in a fascinating context and written beautifully, but I failed to truly connect with this story. But it made me want to learn more about this subject! (This book was also longlisted for the National Book Award this year.)
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❒ Prophet Song by Paul Lynch – will be published in the US in December but available via Blackwell’s. I haven’t ordered it yet but am strongly considering doing so.
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❒ Western Lane by Chetna Maroo – I haven’t read this one but many have said it’s a strong contender. It’s very short and I would love to borrow through the library, so I’m waiting to see if it will be added to Libby.
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✔️The Bee Sting by Paul Murray – my thoughts are just above in this post! In short: Irish family drama that left me on the edge of my seat, heart pounding. Of the books I’ve read, this is my choice as the winner.
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A note on affiliate links: if you purchase a book after clicking on the link, I’ll receive a small referral bonus at no extra cost to you. I sincerely appreciate any purchases you make through these links.

And if you haven’t ordered from Blackwell’s yet, I’d encourage you to consider it! They are in Oxford and ship for free to the US. The prices are competitive with Amazon and I often find the book covers in the UK to be much more beautiful! Shipping takes longer but I think it’s worth the wait.

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Tomorrow is Friday! I won’t try to publish two blog posts in a row so I’ll plan to be back on Monday with an update on the weekend. Other than a few hours at the library on Saturday morning, I’m not sure how it’s going to go because Matthew is having dental surgery today and we don’t know what to expect for his recovery. I’m hoping he’s feeling up to a mountain drive this weekend but we’ll have to take things one step at a time.

Do you have plans for the weekend? Whatever is on the agenda, I hope it’s full of exactly what you need.